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Dark Breaks the Dawn Review

Book one in a haunting and romantic YA duology packed with action, romance, and betrayal from the critically acclaimed author of the Defy trilogy, Sara B. Larson.

On her eighteenth birthday, Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan, the Light Kingdom, can finally access the full range of her magical powers. The light looks brighter, the air is sharper, and the energy she can draw when fighting feels almost limitless.

But while her mother, the queen, remains busy at the war front, in the Dark Kingdom of Dorjhalon, the corrupt king is plotting. King Bain wants control of both kingdoms, and his plan will fling Evelayn into the throne much sooner than she expected.

In order to defeat Bain and his sons, Evelayn will quickly have to come into her ability to shapeshift, and rely on the alluring Lord Tanvir. But not everyone is what they seem, and the balance between the Light and Dark comes at a steep price.

In the first book of a remarkable duology, Sara B. Larson sets the stage for her reimagining of Swan Lake — a lush romance packed with betrayal, intrigue, magic, and adventure.

About: Dark Breaks the Dawn is a young adult fantasy written by Sara B. Larson. It was published on 5/30/17 by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc, 320 pages. The genres are young adult, fantasy, fiction, and magic. This is book 1 to a duology. According to the publisher’s website, “Scholastic was founded in 1920 as a single classroom magazine. Today, Scholastic books and educational materials are in tens of thousands of schools and tens of millions of homes worldwide, helping to Open a World of Possible for children across the globe” and their mission is to “encourage the intellectual and personal growth of all children, beginning with literacy.” Please see below for more information about the author.

My Experience: I started reading Dark Breaks the Dawn on 6/12/17 and finished it on 6/29/17. The cover of this book is gorgeous! I like the concept of Light Kingdom vs Dark Kingdom. I like the magic. Honestly, difficult pronunciation of places is the main reason for my lack of interest in this book. Additionally, I was not so keen on the princess’ failed attempts to shift herself into a swan and then the swan portion plays a very minimal role in this book.

This story is told in third person point of view. Readers will follow Princess Evelayn of Eadrolan, the Light Kingdom as she eagerly awaiting to celebrate her 18 birthday so that she can embrace her full potential to the magic power granted to all 18 and above. There is currently a war going on between the Light Kingdom, Eadrolan and the Dark Kingdom, Dorjhalon where Princess Avelayn’s mother is at war against King Bain. King Bain of the Dark Kingdom has two sons: Lorcan and Lothan. King Bain is as ruthless to his people as he is to the enemy Light Kingdom as he is to his sons. At training, he wants his sons to fight until one bleeds. He is willing to sacrifice his own soldiers in order to trap and kill the Queen of the Light Kingdom. When Princess Avelayn’s mother was killed, she is to become Queen and continue the war against King Bain. She has pressures to restore peace to the kingdom as well as pressure to produce an heir. At the moment, she is single, struggling to morn her mother’s death, taking on the tasks of being Queen, and that war against the Dark Kingdom. The decade long war took both of her parents and she is new to her power, how will she handle the war?

I like seeing the easy life of a Princess and the pressure filled life of a young Queen. I like having a glimpse of the Queen’s meeting and how they strategize to come up with a plan to defeat King Bain. I like Lord Tanvir and his careful approach to love. I like Ceren and her easy going personality. I enjoy the humor and the cute romances. I like the air of mystery between Lorcan and his mother. Despite some slow parts between running and failed attempts before success comes, this book is still a good read and I do recommend everyone to read it.

Sara B. Larson is the author of the acclaimed young adult fantasy Defy trilogy: Defy, Ignite, and Endure. She can’t remember a time when she didn’t write books — although she now uses a computer instead of a Little Mermaid notebook. Sara lives in Utah with her husband and their children. When she’s not mothering or writing, you can often find her at the gym repenting of her sugar addiction. You can visit her online at http://www.SaraBLarson.com. (Photo obtained from the author’s website andInfo obtained from Edelweiss).

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to the author Sara B. Larson, publisher Scholastic, and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

It sounds like a very interesting read, the concept is quite original if I’m being honest. Might check this one out at some point, but will probably be a while with so many books I still have to catch up with lol 😂 As always, great review 😀

About Me

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to read about me. I create this blog to gush over books I love and to connect with other book lovers. As always, too many books, too little time. Time need to freeze so that I can read more books! :-)